Riverside Gardens: significant old tree celebrated

A SECOND gorgeous old tree at Riverside Gardens was the centre of a significant tree celebration for local school students, residents and members of Mandurah Over-55s Cycle Club.

The Big Tree, a magnificent tuart on the corner of Pinjarra Road and Old Pinjarra Road, pre-dates European settlement and is the meeting place for cycle club members.

It was the second tree to be endorsed onto Mandurah’s Significant Tree Register which identifies and protects trees of significance in the community.

John Norton, Mandurah Over-55s Cycle Club’s longest serving member, recalled joining the club in 2000 and being told to meet at the Big Tree for a ride to Pinjarra.

“I wondered where on earth that was,’’ he said.

The tree also inspired local writer Jude St Clair who wrote a short story she read on the day.

Anyone can nominate a tree onto the Significant Tree Register for its outstanding visual significance, botanic or scientific significance, important ecological value or historical, commemorative, cultural or social significance.

In the past, the aim was to identify and protect tree but since last year, it is also all about sharing knowledge, appreciation and celebration of beautiful trees.

Since the scheme started in 2007, 80 trees have been endorsed by the City of Mandurah and are now on the register.